Feb 11
Today we had breakfast at the hotel since I didn’t feel like cooking; they only do one breakfast, eggs, bacon and toast with coffee or tea but that suited us just fine. I had spoke to Curtis last night and made arrangements for him to take us over to Sandy Island with another couple from the hotel. He showed up a little late, but no worries the hotel isn’t that strict on checkout time.
We made arrangements to stay there for a couple hours and had some nice snorkeling seeing many colorful fish. The best way I found to snorkel here is to go to the windward end of the island and just let the current and wind drift you along giving yourself a boost with a stroke or kick every so often. Kim was happy because the sun was at the perfect angle to really get some strong rays and this would be her last chance before heading back to the frozen north.



Sandy Island

The back side of the Island, which is really more of an elevated sand bar with some vegetation to keep it in place, is protected from the sea by a long pile of old broken coral. Walking on it feels and sounds like walking on a pile of old bones, the sound is different than walking on rocks, it almost has a hollow ring to it. There were a few other people there, but plenty of space to go around.



The coral breakwall

Curtis arrived as planned and we went back to the hotel to pack and meet our taxi; I wanted to check out but the manager wasn’t in the office so I went to see if she was at the restaurant. She wasn’t there either, but the cook asked how much I owed so I told her then paid the bill; that’s how things go here everyone is so laid back they just trust you to be honest, and keep in mind they didn’t even have any credit card information on me since they ask that you send the deposit via Western Union, like I said it’s a real step back in time.
I gave the last of the sailfish to the guys at the Banana Bar and the remainder of the kitchen staples to the housekeeper. The driver arrived on time and dropped us off at the ferry dock. It was early yet so we spent some time in a bar on the water there we could see when people started to board.



Hillsborough

We got on early and grabbed some seats on top so Kim could get every last bit of sun. The ride was generally smooth, except for the part over Kick Em Jenny, an underwater sea mount and volcano. I called Burris as we were arriving at the dock and he came to give us a ride to the La Heliconia, where we would spend our last night thanks to my points on Hotels.com.
We asked if there were any restaurants and the manager directed us to The Beach House, which is just a short walk from the hotel to the beach. When we arrived at the restaurant we could see that it was a nice place, very well set up; first look at the menu gave us some sticker shock but we really couldn’t run out of the place and since it seemed to be the only spot around we ordered dinner. I have to say this was the best restaurant I’ve eaten at in Grenada; service was excellent as were the presentation and meals themselves, far better than the time we had dinner at Morne Rouge. Kim had a strip steak and I went for the Cornish game hen, with drinks and dessert the bill was just over $100 US, but well worth it, and we considered it an early Valentines Day dinner.



Kim at the Beach House

I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants a special dinner while in Grenada.
We stopped at the Old School Pub on our way back only to find our friend George there at the patio bar. He was drinking beer and had a bottle of tequila that he brought along, the barmaid even gave him some glasses with ice and lime slices for it. We stuck around for a while then went back to get some sleep for our flight home the next day.
Feb 12
Burris again showed up on time for us; being the hotel is just down the road from the airport he only charged us 20 EC; when he didn’t have change for a 50 he said “don’t worry about it, it’s on me”. Fortunately Kim had a US 10 so I gave him that despite his objections.
The fights home were uneventful; I had a lounge pass that I intended to use in Miami, but left it home. The biggest downside was the weather in Buffalo when we got back and having to shovel my car out from under two weeks worth of snow at 6:15 am to go to work the next day in -14 wind chill.





Well that’s it for this winter, due to work responsibilities I had to cut my vacation a month shorter than usual as I have to go on a tunnel project in Roanoke Va. On the plus side I did get permission from my boss to take a summer vacation for the first time ever in my life; and it’s going to be a great one. I’m gonna be a rat and not let the cat out of the bag yet but I will say that I will be visiting a part of the world I have dreamed about going to since I was a young kid, even before I got into sailing. I’m not sure if I’m going to post in the World Wide Travel or Charter forums, but keep your eyes open around the end of May.
Until then thanks for following along and especially for all the nice comments; and as I always say, don’t let life hold you back, get out and see the world, enjoy life and live your dreams.
Sammy

I'm looking forward to your mystery trip already. Could it be the Greek Isles, or perhaps the South Pacific. I'm sure the reports will be excellent wherever the destination. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

Thank you for taking us all with you as usual!! Can't wait for summer.

I felt like I was on the journey with you, the reports and photos were fantastic! Take all of us along on your secret visit in May. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thanks.gif" alt="" />

Thanks so much for taking us along again Sammy!

I think most people who live in snow country have a 'returned home to...' story. Ours is we arrived home from Jamaica around 5 PM to Baltimore, had to dig the car out of 6 inches of snow at the airport. We ALMOST turned around and went back into the terminal and tried to get back on a plane going ANYWHERE, but figured by that time of night, there wouldn't be anything leaving that day! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />

Gorgeous!!! Thanks for sharing your photos and story!

Thanks for a great report and pics. Went to Grenada a few years back and loved it. We also had a fabulous meal at the Beach House. Your report brings those memories rushing back and puts a smile on our faces.